Feet First – Taking Care of Your Feet

Out of all of the parts of your body, your feet suffer the most. This is especially true for dancers, who are trained to use different foot muscles in order to improve their balance and execute complicated moves. Whether you dance professionally or just for fun, your feet need to be taken care of properly in order to prevent injuries and other problems. Here are five tips to help you take care of your feet:

Wear Shoes That Fit Well.

If your shoes are too small, they can cause blisters and other problems. If they’re too large, you may find it hard to properly execute dance moves, let along walk. This can lead to everything from injured toes to torn muscles and pulled ligaments.

Take Care of Your Toenails

Ingrown toenails are painful and can become further irritated with constant movement. Avoid them by trimming your toenails straight across – not in the half-moon shape of your fingernails. You also should keep your toenails short, since ones that are too long can break or even rub against the inside of your shoes.

Soak Your Feet

Soak your aching feet in a solution made from Epsom salts and warm water. This will give your tired foot muscles a chance to relax – and it will make them feel better as well! Once you remove them from the solution, dry them before applying a foot cream or thick moisturizer.

Take Care of Your Blisters.

Even if your shoes fit correctly, you can still end up with blisters. Make sure that you cover your blisters with bandages, apply an anti-bacterial cream to them to prevent infection, and switch to different shoes so that the blisters have a chance to heal.

Don’t Wear Heels That Are Extremely High

They might look nice, but shoes like these (especially stilettos) can cause ligament problems in your lower legs, not to mention leave you with aching foot muscles.